Report warns older people too scared to complain about care

Older people are often too afraid to complain about the level of care they receive, worrying a complaint will make the situation worse, a new report has warned.

Breaking down the Barriers, published by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, found that many older people did not have the knowledge of confidence to raise the alarm when something goes wrong with their care.

The report revealed that over half of those aged 65 and over said they did not complain in case it had an impact on future treatment, with a third saying they did not think making a complaint would make a difference. Nearly one in five of those over the age of 75 did not also know how to make a complaint, according to the survey

Parliamentary and health service ombudsman, Julie Mellor, said: 'Older people are some of the most frequent and vulnerable users of health and social care services but are the silent majority when it comes to complaining.

'Their reluctance to complain could mean that they are suffering in silence and could lead to missed opportunities to improve the service for others.

The report calls on all social care providers to make older patients aware of how to complain and make it clear that their future care will not be compromised if they complain.

Councils and their partners could do even more to contain the spread of COVID-19 if properly funded to undertake a robust localised system of testing, tracking and tracing, argues Professor Donna Hall.

This position will focus primarily upon working with children between the ages of 0-10 who have been looked after by the local authority for a significant period (20 weeks or longer), and where following careful assessment by the allocated social worker,
England, Essex, Chelmsford

NVQ Level 3 - Caring for Children and Young People or equivalent qualification or work-based experience.
* Experience/Knowledge/Interest in the Solution Focused approach.
England, Essex, Chelmsford

Recuriter: Essex County Council

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